DOT Day Explorations

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For this project, we read the story "The Dot" written and illustrated by Peter H. Reynolds. The story is about a girl who doesn't see herself as an artist. All she manages to jot down on her sheet of paper is a dot. Her teacher is blown away by her dot and declares her a true artist. She ends up having an exhibit showcasing her many dots shes drawn and she runs into another student who doesn't view himself as an artist. She gives him this advice, "Just start with a dot".

Stemming from the story, the students received two coffee filters to act as their dots. On these coffee filters, they had the opportunity to design it with a white crayon so it stands out against the watercolor paint. When they have drawn their crayon design they are free to paint their dots with watercolors. They can choose to use warm colors, cool colors or even complementary colors. We let the dots dry for a class period so they were ready to be peeled off the back white paper. If they looked closely, they also created dots on that sheet as well.

For an extension activity, you could have the students read Frida Kahlo and Her Animalitos written by Monica Brown and illustrated by John Parra. This is a book about one of the most influential female painters and how animals influenced her art. After reading this book you could have the students try to paint the animals that inspire them or ones they hold dear. This way they can channel their inner Frida Kahlo.

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